Portable folding commode or seat.



G. A. OONRARD. PORTABLE FOLDING common 0R SEAT.

I 1 9. I APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 9, 1909. Patented Jan. 4

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

maenfot wihwaaaa a i aw a mum! c0 mom umocmwm: wunmavun n c AND 0. A. GONRARD.

PORTABLE FOLDING commons 0R SEAT.

' Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR- 9. 1909.

anuenfov 1 than, 3

CHARLES A. CONE/ARI), OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

PORTABLE FOLDING COMMODE OR SEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 9, 1909.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

Serial No. 482,295.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. CONRARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVashington, in the District of Columbia,

have invented certain new and useful Im' ;provements in Portable Folding Commodes j the other, so that said sections may be slid one upon the other, and folded underneath the seat.

A further object of my invention is to provide a folding seat having extensible side members which may be folded underneath the seat, which folding seat is also provided with a detachable tray.

These and other objects will in part be obvious, and will in part be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration, one embodiment of the invention; Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my impJrOved folding commode or seat. Fig.

ottom plan view of the commode in its folded condition. Fig. 3 is a view from the rear after the commode has been folded. Fig. 4 is a View from the side after the commode has been folded. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing one of the side members folded and the other partly folded underneath the seat. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view, showing the locking bolt for holding the side members expanded. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the supporting clip for the 1 tray and the manner of locking the same to members 2 and 3.

the side members.

The seat 1 is herein shown as of a solid section, and said seat is supported by side The side members are similar in construction'and are composed of two parts slidingly connected together so that one part may telescope within the other part. As herein shown, said side members comprise a lower part which has spaced legs 5 and 6, connected by suitable cross bars 6 and 7 The lower part 3 is hinged directly to the under side of the seat by suitable hinges, while the lower part is hinged to a cleat- 8 secured to the under side of the seat. The object of the cleat 8 is to offset one of the side members so that one of them will fold flat against the under side of the seat, while the other folds flat against said last named member. The upper section 9 of the side member 2, as herein shown, comprises two posts 10 and 11, which are connected at the top by a side rail 12. As herein shown the side rail 12 is connected with the post 11, by a corner bracket 13, which is preferably in the form of an angular bracket secured rigidly to the post 11, and the side rail 12. Aug suitable connection may, however, be use A U-shapcd bracket 14 is secured to the post 10 and to the side rail 12 and serves as a means for joining these parts. The side rail 12 projects beyond the post 10, and is pivotally-connectcd with a cross bar 15 extending across the back of the seat. The

posts 10 and 11., as herein shown, are each provided with a rib 16 which engages asuitable groove 17 in the lower part 4 of said side member. The posts 10 and 11 are secured to the lower part of the side member by suitable strips 18 which are fastened to the lower part at and allow the upper part 9 to slide freely therethrough.

As a means for locking the side member in its extended position, I have provided sliding bolts 19 and 20, which are mounted on the under side of the cross brace 7 and extend through the legs 5 and 6, and are adapted to engage a suitable opening in the posts 10 and 11, as shown in Fig. 6. A spring 21, surrounds each of the bolts and is located between a loop 22 formed in said bolt, and a guide-eye 23 through which said bolt slides. Said springs normally force the bolts into the side posts and thus serve to lock the parts in extended position. The loops 22 serve as an engaging means whereby the bolts may be readily withdrawn.

A link 24 is pivoted at 25 to the post 11 and is also pivoted to a bracket 25 secured to the seat at the front side thereof, (see Fig. 2), and covered by a strip 26, shown in Fig. 1. A similar link 27 is pivoted to the side 6 and to a bracket 28 secured at the rear of the seat. The side member 3 is also provided with an upper part comprising posts 29 and 30, which also have a tongue 16 adapted to engage a groove 17 in the legs and 6. Said posts 29 and 30 are connected by a side bar 31 secured to the posts by brackets 32 and 33, respectively. The side bar 31 extends beyond the post 16 and has pivotally-connected thereto, an end bar 34 which extends across the rear side of said seat. The end bar 34 and the end bar 15 are slidingly connected by spaced bands 35 and 36. A spring clip 37 with a downwardly projecting shoulder 38 is adapted to engage over the edge of the side bar 12 and lock the parts of the end bar in their closed position. The posts 29 and 30 are locked to the legs and 6 by sliding bolts 19, 20, similar in construction to the bolts for locking the parts of the other side member. A link 24 is pivoted to the side member 29 and also to a bracket 25 at the front of the seat, while a similar link 27 is provided at the rear of the seat.

In the operation of my device, the clip 37 is released from the side bar 12, the bolts 19 and 20 withdrawn from their sockets in the posts 29 and 30, and by pressing downward upon the side bar 31, the upper section of the side member will slide down upon the lower section of the side member. The link 24 being connected to the seat near the central part thereof, as the post 29 slides down on the leg 5, said leg 5 will necessarily be swung inward and a continued downward movement of the slide bar 31 will move the legs 5 and 6 around to a position flat against the under side of the seat. While the side bar is moving downward and outward the telescoping parts of the rear end bar 15 and 34, will slide one upon the other as shown in Fig. 5. After having closed one of said sides, then the other side is released by withdrawing the bolts 19 and 20 and by a similar downward movement on the side bar, the legs are caused to fold under the seat. The upper parts of the side members will slide down upon the lower parts so that both the upper and lower parts thereof will be underneath the seat. The end bars located at the rear of the seat and connecting the side members are arranged slightly in rear of the seat so that when the side members are folded, said end bars may move to aposition beneath the upper surface of the seat and allow said side members to fold with out disconnecting the end bars.

When it is desired to set up the seat, the side members are lifted slightly from a position parallel with the seat, and by drawing upon the side bars 12 and 31, the seat is quickly opened and the bolts 19 and 20 and also the spring latch 37 will automatically operate to lock the parts in the unfolded po sition. I also provide a tray 39 which is notched at each end so as to engage the posts 11 and 29 respectively. Said tray 39 is provided with a supporting clip 40, which is journaled in a corner block 41. WVhen the clip is in the position shown in Fig. 7, that is, fiat against the bottom of the tray, the notched corners of the tray are placed against the side posts. The clip 40 is provided with a downward extension shown in dotted lines at 42 in Fig. 7, so that when said clip is turned to a vertical position said projection 42 is thrown across the rear face of the side posts and serves to lock the tray to said posts. The tray is then raised or lowered on the post until the hook 43 at the upper end of the clip 40 engages a suitable eye 44, mounted on the side posts. A spring retaining lip 45 serves to hold the hook 43 in the eye 40. The tray of course, must be detached before the seat can be folded. This detaching of the tray is readily accomplished by releasing hooks 43 from the eyes 44 and swinging the clips 40 to a position flat against the bottom of the tray.

It will readily be seen that I have provided a folding commode which may be quickly folded into a small compass and which may be quickly set up and the parts locked in the folded position. When the commode is in unfolded position the posts project above the seat, and together with the side bars and the sliding end bars at the rear of the seat form a guard.

It will-be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details of construction herein shown, but that minor changes may be made therein, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus particularly described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a seat, of side members connected to said seat so as to project above the same to form a guard and so as to proj ect below the seat for forming supporting legs, said side members being formed in sections slidable one upon the other, means for connecting said side members to said seat whereby they may be folded against said seat, and means for sliding one section upon the other as the side members are folded or unfolded.

2. The combination with a seat, of side members hinged to said seat and including sliding parts, and means for swinging each of said side members about its hinge when one of the parts thereof is slid relative to the other.

3. The combination with a seat, of side members hinged to said seat and including sliding parts and means for swinging each of said side members about its hinge when one of the parts thereof is slid relative to the other, and means for locking said sliding parts in a predetermined position.

4. The combination with a seat, of side members connected to said seat, so as to project above the same to form a guard, and so as to project below the seat for forming supporting legs, means for connecting said side members to said seat, whereby they may be folded below said seat, and a member loeated at the back of the seat and connecting the said side member adjacent the upper ends thereof, said last named member comprising slidingly connected sections, whereby the sliding of one section on the other permits the side members to be folded underneath the seat.

5. The combination with a seat, of side members hinged to said seat, said side mem bers including supporting legs, posts slidingly connected to said legs and adapted to be extended above said seat, links pivoted to said posts and to said seat, so that when said posts are slid on said legs, said side members will be swung about the supporting hinge therefor.

6. The combination with a seat, of side members hinged to said seat and including supporting legs, posts slidingly connected to said supporting legs, a side bar connecting said posts, an end member extending across the rear of said seat, and comprising slidin sections, each of said sections being pivoted to one of the side members.

7. The combination with a seat and side members connected thereto, of a removable tray having notched portions adapted to engage said side members, elips pivoted to said tray, and havin a hook at one end thereof, a retainin prO ection carried by the other end of said clip, which is adapted to engage said side members when the clip is in ver tical position, and supporting eyes carried by the side members with which said hooks may be engaged.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signatur in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. CONRARD.

\Vitnesses E. H. PARKINS, E. G. MASON. 

